Page holder

ABSTRACT

A page holder for holding the pages of a book in an open arrangement having an attachment means such as a spring clip for attaching the page holder to the cover or to one or more pages of the book, a holding means adapted to hold, to the cover of the open book, one or more pages on each side of the spine of the open book, and a support member connecting the attachment means to the holding means, the support member being adapted to allow movement of the holding means from a page holding position to a page releasing position, without detaching the page holder from the book, so that one or more pages of the book can be turned.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to a page holder, in particular, a page holderfor holding the pages of a book in an open arrangement. The page holderis also useful as a book marker.

BACKGROUND

When a book, especially a paperback book, is open at a desired page, thepages of the book have a tendency to flip over by themselves which isfrustrating to the reader. To prevent the pages from flipping over, itis generally necessary when reading a book, to hold the book backwardsagainst the binding and thus damaging the spine of the book.

Page holders designed to hold open the pages of a book are known. Theygenerally have a means for engagement with the book such as arms orprongs. Pages of the book or the cover of the book can be insertedbetween the arms or the prongs. The page holder is retained in place byfrictional resistance between the pages or cover and the arms or prongs.Page holders typically have an elongate body or a pair of arms whichexerts pressure on the pages on each side of the spine of an open book.Thus a book can be held open at a required page.

However, in order that a page is turned, conventional page holders mustbe disengaged from the book, the page turned and the page holderre-engaged with the book. This procedure, requiring both hands, iscumbersome, time consuming and can be frustrating. In addition,repetitive disengagement and re-engagement of the page holder from andto the book often causes damage to the pages or the cover.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a page holderwhich overcomes these problems or at least provides the public with auseful alternative.

Accordingly, in one aspect of the invention there is provided a pageholder for holding the pages of a book in an open arrangement having:

an attachment means for attaching the page holder to the cover or to oneor more pages of the book;

a holding means having an elongate page holding member of dimensionssuitable for holding, to the cover of the open book, one or more pageson each side of the spine of the open book; and

an elongate support member having a substantially perpendicularorientation relative to the plane of the open book when in use, thesupport member being fixed at one end to the attachment means;

wherein the support member is slideably engaged with the holding meansso that the location of the page holding member can be adjusted to suitdifferent book thicknesses and wherein the page holding member issubstantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the supportmember and can be rotated about the longitudinal axis of the supportmember from a page holding position to a page releasing position so thatone or more pages of the book can be turned without detaching the pageholder from the book.

Preferably, the support member is constructed so that upon release of aforce required to move the holding means from the page holding positionto the page releasing position, the holding means returns to the pageholding position.

It is preferred that the support member is a flexible elongate memberconstructed of a resilient material, such as a plastics material or arubber or rubber-like material, or is a rigid elongate member connectedto the attachment means by a resilient connector.

It is further preferred that the support member is connected to theattachment means so that the support member is substantially uprightrelative to the horizontal plane of the open book when the page holderis attached to the book.

Although the attachment means may be any means suitable for fixing thepage holder to the book, a clip such as a spring clip or an alligatorclip is preferred.

The holding means preferably comprises an arm attached at one end to thesupport member and engaged at the other end with a bar wherein the barengages the surface of the one or more pages, and wherein the bar is ina substantially perpendicular arrangement to the arm.

It is preferred that the bar is slidably held within an aperture in theend of the arm. This enables the bar to be slid relative to the arm sothat the bar is in the best location for holding the pages, i.e. whenone side of the book is significantly thicker than the other side. Whenthe bar is located on only one side of the book, the book can be closedand the page holder then operates as a book marker.

Preferably, the arm is attached to the support member by an adjustmentmeans so that movement of the adjustment means along the support membercauses movement of the bar relative to the cover of the book. Thus, thepage holder is able to be used to hold open the pages of books ofdifferent thicknesses.

The adjustment means is preferably a concentric band slidably engagedwith the support member in a firm fit so that a force is required to beapplied for adjustment of the holding means relative to the supportmember.

Alternatively, the adjustment means may be a spring clip having a pairof lobes which when pinched together release the grip of the clip on thesupport member so that the location of the holding means relative to thesupport member can be adjusted.

In a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method ofholding the pages of a book in an open arrangement with a page holder ofthe first aspect of this invention comprising attaching the page holderto the cover or to one or more pages of the book and adjusting theholding means relative to the support member so that the page holdingmember engages with the pages on each side of the spine of the open bookand holds those pages to the cover of the open book.

In a third aspect of the invention there is provided a method of turningone or more pages of an open book held to the cover of the open book bya page holder of the first aspect of the invention comprising moving thepage holding member from a page holding position to a page releasingposition, turning the one or more pages, and returning the page holdingmember to the page holding position.

In another aspect of the invention there is provided a method of markinga page location in a closed book with the page holder of the firstaspect of the invention comprising attaching the page holder to thecover or to one or more pages of the book when in an open arrangement,adjusting the holding means relative to the support member so that thepage holding member engages with the pages on each side of the spine ofthe open book, rotating the page holding member by approximately 90°about the longitudinal axis of the support member so that a portion ofthe page holding member lies substantially parallel to the spine of thebook on one side of the spine, and closing the book.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention is now described by way of example with reference to theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view from above of a page holder of a firstembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view from below of the page holder shown in FIG.1.

FIG. 3 is a front end view of the page holder shown in FIG. 1.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are side views of the page holder shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the page holder shown in FIG. 1 and anopen book.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a page holder of a second embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the page holder shown in FIG. 7 and anopen book.

FIGS. 9 and 10 are side views of the page holder shown in FIG. 7attached to a book.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 1 to 6.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a page holder 1 having an attachment means which is aspring clip 2 integrally formed with a base 3. The spring clip 2 has acavity 4 with substantially parallel edges 5, an end edge 6, and acurved edge 7. A tongue 8 is connected to the spring clip 2 at end edge6 of the cavity 4 by a connecting member 9. The tongue 8 is curved sothat a portion of its body protrudes into the cavity 4. The spring clip2 will be constructed of a material of sufficient strength so that anexternal force is needed to move the tongue 8 relative to the cavity 4and of sufficient flexibility to allow movement of the tongue 8 relativeto the cavity 4 without breaking the tongue 8 or the connecting member9. The tip 10 of the tongue 8 projects below the plane of the springclip 2 to facilitate engagement with the cover of a book or one or morepages of a book. The cover or one or more pages can be slid into thespace between the tip 10 and the plane of the clip 2 and forced towardthe end edge 6 of the cavity 4 with concomitant movement of the tongue 8from the cavity 4. The flexibility and strength of the tongue 8 andconnecting member 9 are such that the force exerted by the tongue 8 onthe cover or one or more pages of the book is sufficient to hold thepage holder 1 to the book.

At a location on the base 3 distal from the clip 2 there extends acylindrical support member 11 substantially perpendicular to the base 3.A holding means 12 which is an elongate planar member is connected tothe support member 11 through an arm 13 and a concentric band 14. Theinternal diameter of the band 14 is predetermined to provide a snug fitabout support member 11. The band 14 can be rotated relative to thesupport member 11 or moved longitudinally relative to the support member11. The outer surface of the support member 11 and the inner surface ofthe band 14 may be textured or ribbed so that the band 14 grips thesupport member 11.

The holding means 12 is sufficiently long so that when the page holder 1is fixed near to the spine of a book, the holding means engages withpages on both sides of the spine. Typically, the holding means has alength of 70-80 mm and a width of approximately 15 mm.

The support member 11 is connected to the base 3 by a resilientconnector 15, as shown in FIG. 2. The connector 15 protrudes through ahole 16 in the base 3 and into the hollow centre of support member 11,as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 2. The dimensions of the diameter ofthe connector 15, the diameter of the hole 16 and the internal diameterof support member 11 are such that there is a tight fit. The resilienceof connector 15 enables the holding means 12 to be moved from a pageholding position to a page releasing position when a force is exertedperpendicular to the support member 11 at a location on the supportmember 11 distal from the base 3, as shown in FIG. 5. Thus, when thepage holder 1 is attached to a book, the support member 11 can be bentaway from the book thereby moving the holding means 12 to a pagereleasing position enabling one or more pages of the book to be turned.When the force exerted on the support member 11 is released, theresilience of connector 15 causes the support member 11 to return to asubstantially upright position and the holding means 12 to return to thepage holding position.

Alternatively, the holding means 12 can be moved from a page holdingposition to a page releasing position by rotating the holding means 12by approximately 90° to 180° about the longitudinal axis of the supportmember 11.

Longitudinal movement of the band 14 relative to the support member 11increases or decreases the distance between the holding means 12 and thebase 3. This enables the page holder 1 to be used with books ofdifferent thicknesses. In addition, the band 14 can be rotated about thesupport member 11 by approximately 90° so that the holding means 12 isperpendicular to its location shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. If a book, towhich the page holder 1 is attached, is then closed, the holding means12 serves as a book mark as a portion of the holding means 12 will liebetween the pages of the closed book indicating the place where the bookwas last open.

The page holder 1 is preferably constructed of a rigid material, such asa plastics material. Although, the connector 15 will be constructed of aresilient material, such as a rubber or rubber-like plastics material.

Although, the support member 11 has been described as rigid and theconnector 15 has been described as resilient, it is envisaged that arigid connector 15 and a resilient support member 11 will be suitable.In that case, the support member 11 itself can be bent to move theholding means 12 from a page holding position to a page releasingposition. It is also envisaged that a rigid support member 11 may beconnected to the base 3 by a spring loaded hinge, rather than aconnector 15.

When in use, the holding means 12 will hold the pages of a book in anopen arrangement. The force exerted on the underside of the holdingmeans 12 by the pages of the book, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 4,causes the band 14 to grip the support member 11 more strongly in thevicinity of regions A than in the vicinity of regions B. This providesadditional resistance to any undesired movement of the band 14 byeffectively locking the band 14 into place.

The page holder 1 may be of any suitable dimensions for use as aneffective page holder or book marker. However, preferably the base 3 isapproximately 100 mm in length and the spring clip is approximately 120mm in length. The holding means 12 preferably has a length ofapproximately 70 mm and a width of approximately 15 mm.

The diameter of the cross-section of the support member 11 is preferablyapproximately 10 mm.

An alternative embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 7 to 10.

FIG. 7 shows a page holder 16 having an attachment means which is analligator clip 17. The clip 17 is located at one end of an elongateflexible shaft 18. A holding means having an arm 19 is attached at oneend to the shaft 18 with an adjustable clip 20. The clip 20 has lobes 21which can be pinched together releasing the grip of the clip 20 on theshaft 18 so that the location of the holding means on the shaft 18 canbe adjusted. This is to enable the page holder 16 to be used effectivelywith books of varying thicknesses. At the other end of the arm 19 thereis located a member 22 provided with an aperture. A flattened bar 23 isslidably engaged with the member 22 through the aperture.

FIG. 8 shows an open book 24 and a page holder 16. The page holder has ashaft 18 of substantially circular cross section. The lobes 21 of theadjustable clip 20 are shown extending outwardly from shaft 18. Althoughnot shown in FIG. 8, it will be appreciated that the page holder 16 isattached to the cover of the book with the alligator clip 17. The pageholder 16 is shown at a location proximal to the spine 25 of the book24. The bar 23 can then readily engage with the top page on both sidesof the spine 25 of the book 24. In addition, the bar 23 can be slidwithin the aperture of member 22 to better hold the pages of the book 24when one side of the spine 25 is thicker than the other. Furthermore, itcan be seen that when the bar 23 is slid so that it engages only withthe side of the spine on which the page holder 16 is attached (the lefthand side in FIG. 8), the book 24 can be closed thereby enabling thepage holder 16 to serve as a book marker.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show part of the book 24 with the page holder 16 attachedthereto. The jaws of the clip 17 are attached to the cover of the book24 and hence are obscured. FIG. 9 shows the page holder 16 in a pageholding position whereas FIG. 10 shows the page holder 16 in a pagereleasing position.

The flexible shaft 18 as shown in FIG. 10, is bent in the directionindicated by the arrow from the page holding position indicated by thedotted lines. The arm 19 and the bar 23 are therefore moved away fromthe pages of the book 24 thereby enabling one or more pages to be turnedwithout needing to detach the page holder 16 from the book 24.Preferably, the bar 23 is a flattened bar approximately 100 to 160 mmlong and approximately 10 to 20 mm wide.

While the page holder may be constructed of any suitable material, it ispreferably constructed generally of suitable plastics materials. Theflexible shaft 18 is shown having substantially circular cross section.However, the cross section may be elongate so that undesired sidewaysflexing of the shaft is minimised.

Although the attachment means is shown in the embodiments described as aspring clip or an alligator clip, other attachment means may besuitable. Further, it will be appreciated that the concentric band 14 inthe first embodiment or the adjustable clip having lobes 21 in thesecond embodiment may be replaced by another suitable mechanism whichallows the holding means to be adjusted relative to the support member.

Where in the foregoing description reference has been made to integersor components having known equivalents then such equivalents areincorporated as if individually set forth.

Although the invention has been described by way of example and withreference to the accompanying drawings, it will be appreciated thatimprovements and/or modifications may be made thereto without departingfrom the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The page holder of this invention is useful as an easy to use device forholding the pages of a book in an open arrangement and for allowing easyturning of the pages of the book without having to detach the pageholder from the hook. The page holder is also useful as a book markerfor marking a location in a closed book.

What is claimed is:
 1. A page holder for holding the pages of a book inan open arrangement having: an attachment means for attaching the pageholder to a cover or to one or more pages of the book; a holding meanshaving an elongate page holding member of dimensions suitable forholding, to the cover of the open book, one or more pages on each sideof a spine of the open book; and an elongate support member having asubstantially perpendicular orientation relative to a plane of the openbook when in use, the support member being fixed at one end to theattachment means; wherein the support member is slideably engaged withthe holding means so that the location of the page holding member can beadjusted to suit different book thicknesses and wherein the page holdingmember is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of thesupport member and can be rotated about the longitudinal axis of thesupport member from a page holding position to a page releasing positionso that one or more pages of the book can be turned without detachingthe page holder from the book.
 2. A page holder as claimed in claim 1wherein the support member is a rigid member connected to the attachmentmeans by a resilient connector so that the holding means can be movedfrom the page holding position to the page releasing position withoutrotation of the page holding member about the longitudinal axis of thesupport member.
 3. A page holder as claimed in claim 1 wherein thesupport member is a flexible member so that the holding means can bemoved from the page holding position to the page releasing positionwithout rotation of the page holding member about the longitudinal axisof the support member.
 4. A page holder as claimed in claim 1 whereinthe support member has a substantially circular cross section.
 5. A pageholder as claimed in claim 1 wherein the page holding member hasdimensions so that when the holding means is rotated by approximately90° a portion of a page holding member lies between two consecutivepages of the book when the book is closed thereby marking the pagelocation at which the book was last open.
 6. A page holder as claimed inclaim 1 wherein the attachment means comprises a spring clip integrallyformed with a base to which the support member is connected.
 7. A methodof holding the pages of a book in an open arrangement, the methodcomprising attaching a page holder as claimed in claim 1 to a cover orto one or more pages of the book and adjusting the holding meansrelative to the support member so that the page holding member engageswith the pages on each side of a spine of the open book and holds thosepages to the cover of the open book.
 8. A method of turning one or morepages of an open book, the method comprising holding one or more pagesof an open book to a cover of the open book by a page holder as claimedin claim 1, moving the page holding member from a page holding positionto a page releasing position, turning the one or more pages, andreturning the page holding member to the page holding position.
 9. Amethod of marking a page location in a closed book, the methodcomprising attaching a page holder as claimed in claim 1 to a cover orto one or more pages of the book when in an open arrangement, adjustingthe holding means relative to the support member so that the pageholding member engages with the pages on each side of a spine of theopen book, rotating the page holding member by approximately 90° about alongitudinal axis of the support member so that a portion of the pageholding member lies substantially parallel to the spine of the book onone side of the spine, and closing the book.
 10. A page holder asclaimed in claim 2 wherein the support member has a substantiallycircular cross section.
 11. A page holder as claimed in claim 10 whereinthe holding means has a concentric band adapted for location of thesupport member therethrough, the concentric band having an internaldiameter for a snug fit with the support member so that an applicationof an external force is required to move the holding means relative tothe support means.
 12. A page holder as claimed in claim 3 wherein thesupport member has a substantially circular cross section.
 13. A pageholder as claimed in claim 3 wherein the page holding member hasdimensions so that when the holding means is rotated by approximately90° a portion of the page holding member lies between two consecutivepages of the book when the book is closed thereby marking a pagelocation at which the book was last open.
 14. A page holder as claimedin claim 3 wherein the attachment means comprises a spring clipintegrally formed with a base to which the support member is connected.15. A page holder as claimed in claim 12 wherein the holding means has aconcentric band adapted for location of the support member therethrough,the concentric band having an internal diameter for a snug fit with thesupport member so that an application of an external force is requiredto move the holding means relative to the support means.
 16. A pageholder as claimed in claim 15 wherein the concentric band is a springclip having two lobes so that when the two lobes are pinched togetherthe band expands allowing the holding means to be moved relative to thesupport member.
 17. A page holder as claimed in claim 14 where thespring clip has a substantially planar body with a cavity and a curvedresilient tongue, a portion of the tongue in its resting state beinglocated within the cavity, the clip being adapted to receive the coveror one or more pages of the book between the tongue and the body therebyforcing the tongue from its resting state so that the force of thetongue on the cover or one or more pages is sufficient to hold the pageholder to the book.
 18. A page holder as claimed in claim 4 wherein theholding means has a concentric band adapted for location of the supportmember therethrough, the concentric band having an internal diameter fora snug fit with the support member so that an application of an externalforce is required to move the holding means relative to the supportmeans.
 19. A page holder as claimed in claim 18 wherein the concentricband is a spring clip having two lobes so that when the two lobes arepinched together the band expands allowing the holding means to be movedrelative to the support member.
 20. A page holder as claimed in claim 6where the spring clip has a substantially planar body with a cavity anda curved resilient tongue, a portion of the tongue in its resting statebeing located within the cavity, the clip being adapted to receive thecover or one or more pages of the book between the tongue and the bodythereby forcing the tongue from its resting state so that the force ofthe tongue on the cover or one or more pages is sufficient to hold thepage holder to the book.